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Sunday, 2 April 2017

St Albans: Sopwell House - An Oasis of Luxury in Hertfordshire

I was invited to lunch at Sopwell House in St Albans with fellow blogger Fiona (London Unattached) which was very convenient for me as I live just 10 minutes away in St Albans. I picked Fiona up at St Albans train station and off we sped.

Sopwell House is tucked away surrounded by green fields, cows and golf fairways however as you come into view you are presented with a large Georgian Grade II mansion set in 12 acres of well maintained grounds.

Once Sopwell House was the home of Lord Mountbatten, uncle of HRH Prince Philip whose mother Alice married into the Greek royal family. It is now frequented by major football players due I would think to the proximity of several of their training grounds situated around Hertfordshire.

The entrance into the main building is warm and welcoming and as you step into luxury, activity, comfort and relaxation staff are on hand to see to your needs.

Facilities include a lunchtime, more informal dining room,

which can also be used by the guests of the spa located on the premises.

A cocktail lounge,

afternoon tea conservatory, wedding venue and day spa which encompasses health, leisure and beauty in the TechnoGym, pool, steam room, sauna and jacuzzi.

There are 128 rooms which includes the newly refurbished Mews Suites,

each self contained offering fantastic privacy some including four poster beds, fireplaces, high end kitchenettes and private terraces

The bedrooms are equipped with large, comfortable beds, nespresso coffee machines and along with contemporary decor offer a relaxing stay and good night sleep.

There is a communal jacuzzi in case your suite doesn't have it's own.

We were there for lunch in the dining room which is also serving breakfast, afternoon tea and dinner.

The lunch menu changes seasonally. It offers a two course lunch for £19.50 and three courses for £23.50. Each course has at least four choices. My starter was a Salad of roast Butternut Squash, Shaved Parmesan, Gem Heart and Caesar Dressing.

Followed by a Rhubarb Crumble, compressed Rhubard with Ginger and Vanilla Ice Cream. The dessert was served without the little piece of gold leaf. Our waiter Tony felt she too deserved a bit of gold leaf as I had it on my dessert so be brought out a little bit for her! We both agreed it added that final panache to the plate!

Coffee and petit fours followed before we went for a walk in the gardens.

As we walked around the grounds we noticed several places for a quiet ponder or cup of tea,

The Spa at Sopwell House offers relaxation in many forms including a 14.5m pool, steam room, sauna and jacuzzi as well as a range of therapies using Clarins and ESPA products. I am thinking I might need to check this out very soon!

I was a guest of Sopwell House for lunch. I was not paid to write a review. As usual all opinions and photos are my own. Photos may not be reproduced in any form without my written permission.